Solon remains unbeaten, defeats Vinton-Shellsburg behind Mia Stahle's 18 points
It's the start of the second half of Tuesday's Solon girls basketball game, Mia Stahle steals the ball, sprints across the court, and scores. She did it on back-to-back possessions- a sequence typical of her style of play.
Stahle's relentless efforts on both ends of the court proved pivotal in extending the Spartans' unbeaten record to 5-0 with a 61-20 win over Vinton-Shellsburg.
Stahle led all scorers with a career-high 18 points. Callie Levin added a triple-double, the first in 25 years for Solon.
"It feels great to make that many points, but I feel like we shared the ball really well and played like a team," Stahle said. "That's when we're our best and obviously, it shows when we win games."
It wasn't always easy for the Spartans.
They couldn't capitalize on scoring opportunities at times. The game was scoreless for the first few minutes to open the first quarter and they struggled in a seven-point second quarter.
"We missed shots, couldn't get on our press. I thought we had some open looks," said Solon coach Jamie Smith. "When you miss shots, we can't get in our pressure defense so that hurt a little bit."
Levin, averaging 23.3 points per game, was limited to nine points at halftime. Kobi Lietz had eight points and Hailey Miller contributed seven.
It started to click for the Spartans as they outscored Vinton-Shellsburg 45-9 in the second half. Stahle, who's listed at 5-foot-3, used her small stature to her advantage. Her quickness gave her the edge in breakaway situations which led to scoring off turnovers and finding open teammates.
"Anybody that's seen her the last three or four years knows that Mia's one of our better defenders, she's fast [and] she'll get out and run," Smith said. "Good run outs, really good on defense in the second half too."
Stahle picked up basketball at around 9 years old, consistently putting in effort on defense. She feels like she has evolved, becoming more comfortable and effective as a scorer over time. It showed in her 18-point performance.
"I've always been very quick and played good defense...I feel like that has progressed through high school," Stahle said. "But getting more confident on offense too, like me willing to shoot the ball, run the floor and drive."
Fluid ball movement, coupled with ball pressure, created scoring opportunities and ensured that everyone had a chance to contribute on the court.
"I think because we're a very quick team, we run the floor a lot, pass the ball and passing the ball is key to getting open shots," Stahle said. "That quick ball movement gives us those open threes and allows us to get the shots and press up."
The Spartans have dominated their last two opponents, outscoring them by 69 points. With three different leading scorers in the past three games, they aim to continue their unbeaten streak as they face Grinnell at home on Friday.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Solon girls basketball extends perfect record, tops Vinton-Shellsburg
